Teens Call Violence on the 14-Mission, ‘Normal’

This story was reported by J.J. Barrow, Octavio Lopez Raygoza, Jessica Lum, Christine Mai-Duc, Lisette Mejia, and Hadley Robinson. It was written by Lisette Mejia

The day after a stabbing on Muni’s 14-Mission left an 18-year-old male in critical condition, teenagers riding through the Mission on Thursday evening had little difficulty remembering the threatening scenes they had witnessed. Fights on Muni said one, are “pretty normal to me.”

Some of them recalled confrontations between strangers, others between friends. In most cases, the drivers eventually kicked the problem riders off the bus or called the police. In the incident on Wednesday, the suspects fled the 14-Mission on foot, police said. The 18-year-old victim remained in life-threatening condition at San Francisco General Hospital, according to police.

“What are you doing here?” Jose remembered hearing on one of his bus rides. The 17-year-old was on the 49-Van Ness-Mission going to soccer practice in the Excelsior when two men from rival gangs got into a shouting match.

Eventually, one of the men got off the bus, but Jose has avoided it ever since.

“Here, I feel safe,” he said, standing at the corner of 19th and Mission moving his arms in a big circle, referring to the inner Mission.